Patricia Ann Labuda, a longtime Rockville, Maryland resident and member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Derwood who dedicated her life to service and advocacy in her community and in Haiti, died Oct. 10, 2024, in Miami. She was 81.
Labuda, known as “Pat” to her friends and family, was born in Elmira, New York, and spent more than 50 years in Rockville, where she was known for her dedication to helping others. A graduate of Buffalo State University with a degree in special education, she began her career teaching children with special needs. In 1965, she met her future husband, William Labuda, and the couple married the following year after a brief courtship. Together they raised six children while she became a driving force in her community.
“Pat lovingly dedicated her life to serving others: as a special education teacher, wife, mother, and, as her family described her, a ‘social justice warrior,’” her online obituary stated. “Wherever there was a need, Pat stepped in to lend assistance.”
Her commitment to service extended to teaching religious education classes, serving as president of a parent-teacher association, and leading the Greater Shady Grove Civic Association for 20 years. In each role, while she worked to improve her community, she also volunteered at soup kitchens, assisted refugee families, and marched in protests advocating for human rights and world peace.
A life devoted to Haiti
Labuda’s most enduring legacy was her work in Haiti, which began in 1987 when St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Derwood partnered with Conversion of St. Paul Parish in Léon, Haiti. After parishioners voted to form the partnership, Labuda joined then-pastor Father Donald Worch and staff on a mission to Léon. The trip was spent listening to the local priest and residents to understand their needs.
This initial effort sparked what became a lifelong mission for Labuda. She traveled to Haiti more than 100 times, often bringing medicines, medical supplies, and other resources. She worked tirelessly to build a network of doctors, nurses and pharmacists who traveled with her to provide much-needed care. She became fluent in Creole, and her commitment made her a recognizable figure on the streets of Haiti.
“She was very devoted to the people of our sister parish [Conversion of Saint Paul in Léon],” said Father John Dillon, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi. “She networked with organizations like the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins to provide student nurses with experience in third-world health care. Her efforts also brought much-needed resources to Léon.”
In 2008, Labuda co-founded Health and Education for Haiti (HEH), a nonprofit organization that delivered critical medical care and educational resources to tens of thousands of people there. Her dedication inspired others to join the cause. Dan and Anne Cardile, St. Francis parishioners who traveled with Labuda to Haiti, recalled how she invited them to participate in their first medical mission.
“Pat served the Lord by ministering to the poorest of the poor, and she did so without fear, without airs, and without guile,” Dan Cardile said. “She was driven by a relentless inner desire to serve, and she passed this desire on to so many other people here in the United States who found their way to Haiti simply because they spoke to Pat Labuda.”
Expanding the mission
Labuda’s influence extended beyond her own parish. In the early 2000s, she introduced the Twinning Program to Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish in Owings, Maryland. Gilda Beauzile, the church’s Haiti ministry coordinator, shared that under Labuda’s guidance, the parish partnered with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Grande Cayemite, Haiti, in 2008.
Over the years, Jesus the Good Shepherd parishioners helped build a new church, install solar panels at a health center, and repair buildings damaged by Hurricane Matthew. “I think Pat would be proud,” Beauzile said.
Legacy of faith and justice
Labuda’s deep faith and passion for justice left an indelible mark. Bishop Joseph Gontrand Décoste, S.J., of the Diocese of Jérémie, Haiti, wrote in a letter to Labuda’s family, “We are and will be eternally grateful to Pat and her team for all the good she has done. May God...open the gates of paradise to her and grant her eternal life.”
Friends and colleagues remembered Labuda as both tenacious and compassionate. Robert Frey, a physician who accompanied her on missions, described her as “indefatigable.”
“She pushed her way through customs with bags of medicine, arranged transportation and housing, and kept track of her volunteers,” Frey said. “Many in Haiti owe their lives to her courage and strength.”
Gladys D. Longchamp, a Haitian-born friend, recalled her unwavering optimism. “Her life speaks volumes of her deep faith – her smile reflected a sense of hope for better days,” Longchamp said in an online tribute.
Labuda’s impact extended far beyond her immediate circle. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, William; her six children; 16 grandchildren; her siblings; and two adopted sons of friend Louis Jackson, whom Pat helped care for after their mother, a Haitian refugee, suffered a stroke during pregnancy.
“Pat lived an extraordinary life and served as an inspiration to all who had the privilege of knowing her,” her online obituary stated.
In another online tribute, Pat Labuda’s daughter, Alicia Bilbao said of her mother: “You saw pain, and you were driven by God to heal. You saw despair, and you were driven to support… You have carried God’s light and love to so many.”
